Screenwriter-producer Beau Willimon, best known for creating the American adaptation of the Netflix political drama House of Cards, is urging people to call Trump’s Washington D.C. hotel and demand that the President-elect sell the establishment to prevent “conflicts of interest.”
Willimon shared a script on his Twitter account Wednesday that includes lines for would-be callers to read to the phone operators at the hotel.
“Call Trump Hotel in DC to ask when Trump will sell to remove conflict of interest. Phone number & script here,” he tweeted.
https://twitter.com/BeauWillimon/status/811612443692691456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“The Trump Hotel in Washington D.C. is only blocks away from the White House,” read the document Willimon shared on social media. “If Trump does not sell the hotel he will profit from diplomats, lobbyists and special interests seeking to curry favor with his administration, or who hope avoid retaliation for giving business to his competitors.”
“By flooding the hotel with calls,” it states, “we can apply both public and media pressure for Trump to sell the hotel — the only surefire way to prevent such conflicts of interest.”
The document includes a number to call and lists five-step instructions for activists to follow.
Of course, Willimon’s effort was mocked by some of his social media followers.
“This is about as effective as the Michael Moore approach of using a megaphone to yell at a building,” one user wrote.
“Lol. It comes with a script too! Just in case it wasn’t clear what a raging narcissist you are. Well done, sir!” wrote another.
Willimon, who supported Hillary Clinton, told Southern California Public Radio’s The Frame that Trump’s victory motivated him and other activists “to get involved.”
“It’s about tapping into that energy, facilitating and organizing on the ground in a way that progressives have not in the past decades,” Willimon said.
“I don’t think I would’ve committed myself to as much activism had she won,” he added.
A day before the presidential electors made Trump’s presidency official, Willimon issued a series of tweets denouncing the Electoral College.
1. The argument that Electoral College protects the voices of smaller states vs. those in more populous states is false logic.
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) December 18, 2016
2. The people in those small states who are part of the nationwide majority that did not vote for DT are ALSO being disenfranchised.
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) December 18, 2016
3. In every other major election in our country the person who receives the most votes wins. The presidency should not be an exception.
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) December 18, 2016
4. The Electoral College is an outdated system which, combined with gerrymandering, erodes the effectiveness of our democracy.
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) December 18, 2016
Willimon, who also wrote and co-produced the political thriller The Ides of March, is the founder of the Action Group Network, which works “to move the country progressively forward in the wake of a divisive election.”
“In one way or another, the events of the past year will inform [my work],” he told SCPR.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
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